Method, server, and system for estimating patent prosecution related activity

Abstract

A method, server, and a system for estimating patent prosecution related activity for a selected inquiry period. The method includes receiving at least one type of values among policy variable values, period-specific representative values, and expense parameter values, calculating patent prosecution related activity and the dates of incurrence of expenses regarding the case information to generate a matched expense item, recording field values in a table, and outputting the table in which the field values are recorded according to an output condition.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of estimating patent prosecution related activity during a selected inquiry period, the method comprising:
 (a) receiving, by a data input unit, at least one type of values among policy variable values, period-specific representative values, and expense parameter values;   (b) receiving a setting value from the data input unit, generating case information of at least one type of cases among previously received cases and cases to be received in future, and calculating dates of patent prosecution related activity and incurrence of expenses regarding the case information to generate a matched expense item;   (c) recording field values including the dates of patent prosecution related activity regarding the case information and incurred expenses in a table; and   (d) outputting the table in which the field values are recorded according to an output condition.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein patent prosecution related activity includes all events related to patent prosecution of a patent application comprising: initial filing of the application; filing Information Disclosure Statements; Request for Examination; receiving Office Actions; filing responses to Office Actions; filing continuations; filing appeals; receiving Notice of Allowances, payment of Issue Fees; and payment of Maintenance Fees. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein operation (a) comprises receiving country-specific received cases, which are received cases corresponding to receipt periods set according to country-specific categories, as common policy variable values. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein operation (a) comprises receiving, as country-specific policy variable values, the policy variable values including a withdrawal rate indicating a ratio of a number of withdrawn cases to a number of received cases, an abandonment rate indicating a ratio of a number of abandoned cases to a number of filed cases, and a rate of issuance of office actions indicating a ratio of a number of issued office actions to the number of filed cases. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein operation (a) comprises receiving period-specific representative values regarding the patent prosecution related activity. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein operation (a) comprises receiving currency units and exchange rates of the currency units as the expense parameter values. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein operation (a) comprises receiving the expense parameter values including previously classified item-specific expense information regarding the patent prosecution related activity. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the dates of incurrence of expenses are generated by applying periods corresponding to the period-specific representative values to a critical date of the case information, and
 the incurred expenses are matched with items of the dates of incurrence of expenses among the expense parameter values.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein operation (a) comprises inquiring about statistical period values according to the inquiry period and applying the statistical period values to inputs of the period-specific representative values. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein operation (a) comprises inquiring about statistical expense values according to the inquiry period and applying the statistical expense values to inputs of the expense parameter values. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the case information of the previously received cases is information on cases whose expenses are incurred within the inquiry period included in the output condition. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein operation (b) comprises calculating the dates of patent prosecution related activity and incurrence of expenses and the expense items matched with the dates of incurrence of expenses using the policy variable values, the period-specific representative values, and the expense parameter values according to information on expense estimation settings and estimating the incurred expenses. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein operation (b) comprises calculating the dates of incurrence of patent prosecution related activities and expenses by adding preconfigured interval to critical date. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein operation (c) comprises recording other fields in addition to the dates of incurrence of patent prosecution related activities and expenses and the incurred expenses in the table. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein operation (d) comprises performing a search according to the output condition generated as a combination of fields recorded in the table, and outputting expenses. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein operation (d) comprises summing estimated expenses of expense items using the table according to information on expense estimation settings given as the output condition, and outputting the sum. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the operation (d) comprises summing expenses according to periods under the output condition obtained by combining fields in the table, and outputting the period-specific sums. 
     
     
         18 . A server for estimating patent prosecution related activity during a selected inquiry period, the server comprising:
 a data input unit configured to receive at least one type of values among policy variable values, period-specific representative values, and expense parameter values;   a table construction unit configured to receive a setting value from the data input unit, generate case information for the patent prosecution related activity of at least one type of cases among previously received cases and cases to be received in future, generate a matched expense item by calculating dates of patent prosecution related activity and incurrence of expenses regarding the case information, and record the dates of patent prosecution related activity and incurrence of expenses regarding the case information and incurred expenses in a table; and   an output unit configured to provide an estimation of patent prosecution related activity and expenses by outputting the table.   
     
     
         19 . The server of  claim 18 , wherein patent prosecution related activity includes all events related to patent prosecution of a patent application comprising: initial filing of the application; filing Information Disclosure Statements; Request for Examination; receiving Office Actions; filing responses to Office Actions; filing continuations; filing appeals; receiving Notice of Allowances, payment of Issue Fees; and payment of Maintenance Fees. 
     
     
         20 . The server of  claim 18 , wherein the data input unit receives country-specific received case information, which includes numbers of received cases and receipt periods corresponding to country-specific categories, as the policy variable values. 
     
     
         21 . The server of  claim 18 , wherein the data input unit receives a withdrawal rate, an abandonment rate, and a number of issuance of office actions regarding the at least one type of cases as the policy variable values. 
     
     
         22 . The server of  claim 18 , wherein the data input unit receives period-specific representative values regarding a series of processes including events of patent prosecution related activity. 
     
     
         23 . The server of  claim 18 , wherein the data input unit receives, as the expense parameter values, item-specific expense information regarding a series of processes including events of patent prosecution related activity. 
     
     
         24 . The server of  claim 18 , wherein the table construction unit records other fields in addition to the dates of patent prosecution related activity and incurrence of expenses and the incurred expenses in the table. 
     
     
         25 . The server of  claim 18 , wherein the dates of incurrence of expenses are generated by applying periods corresponding to the period-specific representative values to a critical date of the case information, and
 the incurred expenses are matched with items of the dates of incurrence of expenses among the expense parameter values.   
     
     
         26 . The server of  claim 18 , wherein the data input unit inquires about statistical period values according to an inquiry period and applies the statistical period values to inputs of the period-specific representative values. 
     
     
         27 . The server of  claim 18 , wherein the data input unit inquires about statistical expense values according to an inquiry period and applying the statistical expense values to inputs of the expense parameter values. 
     
     
         28 . The server of  claim 18 , wherein the table construction unit calculates the dates of patent prosecution related activity and incurrence of expenses using the policy variable values, the period-specific representative values, and the expense parameter values according to the setting value received from the data input unit, and constructs the table including expense items calculated for the calculated dates of incurrence of expenses as field values. 
     
     
         29 . The server of  claim 18 , wherein the case information of the previously received cases is information on cases whose expenses are incurred within the inquiry period included in an output condition. 
     
     
         30 . The server of  claim 18 , wherein the output unit performs a search according to an output condition generated as a combination of fields recorded in the table, and outputs expenses. 
     
     
         31 . The server of  claim 30 , wherein the output unit provides the patent expense estimation results according to the table constructed table construction unit, and provides information on a processing date, a processing time, and whether or not an error has been occurred in relation to calculation of the patent expense estimation results. 
     
     
         32 . A system for estimating patent prosecution related activity during a selected inquiry period, the system comprising:
 a terminal configured to receive and transmit at least one type of values among policy variable values, period-specific representative values, and expense parameter values when authentication as an administrator account is finished; and   a server configured to receive the at least one type of values among policy variable values, period-specific representative values, and expense parameter values, transmitted when the authentication with the terminal is finished, and calculate dates of patent prosecution related activity and patent expense estimation results according to information on expense estimation settings received from a terminal whose authentication is finished as the administrator account or a user account.   
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein patent prosecution related activity includes all events related to patent prosecution of a patent application comprising: initial filing of the application; filing Information Disclosure Statements; Request for Examination; receiving Office Actions; filing responses to Office Actions; filing continuations; filing appeals; receiving Notice of Allowances, payment of Issue Fees; and payment of Maintenance Fees. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein the terminal receives country-specific received cases as common policy variable values, receives a withdrawal rate, an abandonment rate, and a ratio of a number of issued office actions to a number of filed cases as country-specific policy variable values, receives period information of a series of events of patent prosecution related activity as the period-specific representative values, and receives the expense parameter values including item-specific expense information regarding the events. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 34 , wherein the server constructs and outputs a table of stage-specific expense items of the patent prosecution related activity according to selection information of classification by charging and classification by occurrence included in the information on expense estimation settings. 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein the server sums item-specific expenses expected to be incurred in relation to the stage-specific expense items according to previously set classifications, and outputs the sum according to an output method included in the information on expense estimation settings. 
     
     
         37 . A method of estimating a patent expense, the method comprising:
 (a) receiving, by a data input unit, at least one type of values among policy variable values, period-specific representative values, and expense parameter values;   (b) receiving a setting value from the data input unit, generating case information of at least one type of cases among previously received cases and cases to be received in future, and calculating dates of incurrence of expenses regarding the case information to generate a matched expense item;   (c) recording field values including the dates of incurrence of expenses regarding the case information and incurred expenses in a table; and   (d) outputting the table in which the field values are recorded according to an output condition.   
     
     
         38 . A server for estimating a patent expense, the server comprising:
 a data input unit configured to receive at least one type of values among policy variable values, period-specific representative values, and expense parameter values;   a table construction unit configured to receive a setting value from the data input unit, generate case information of at least one type of cases among previously received cases and cases to be received in future, generate a matched expense item by calculating dates of incurrence of expenses regarding the case information, and record the dates of incurrence of expenses regarding the case information and incurred expenses in a table; and   an output unit configured to provide patent expense estimation results by outputting the table.   
     
     
         39 . A system for estimating a patent expense, the system comprising:
 a terminal configured to receive and transmit at least one type of values among policy variable values, period-specific representative values, and expense parameter values when authentication as an administrator account is finished; and   a server configured to receive the at least one type of values among policy variable values, period-specific representative values, and expense parameter values, transmitted when the authentication with the terminal is finished, and calculate dates of patent expense estimation results according to information on expense estimation settings received from a terminal whose authentication is finished as the administrator account or a user account.